A little home
by Scarlet Leinth
Summary: "Santiago was now several stations away, and he would come back to that rural world in which he was always the strange one. Where they called them the gringos". Supernatural AU, taking place in Chile in 1915. I'm chilean, so this contains a lot of my country's history, traditions and legends. A lot of my family's history too. I put a glossary at the end, and I hope you like it.


I did my best. I'm not good at creating AU's. I thought about an Old West thing, but let's face it: I'm chilean, I know nothing about the far west… But I do know _my own country_. And I'm a historian, so this was exciting… for me. I hope you like it. It's sad, though. I'm sorry. And this is my third story in english, so bear with me please. This is very chilean, so there's a glossary at the end.

I DO NOT OWN SUPERNATURAL OR ITS CHARACTERS.

* * *

(Chile, 1915)

"The man is on a hunting trip. And he hasn't been home in a few days".

Those were the words that started it all. Now he was on a train, heading home with Dean. Dean was immersed in a jumpy sleep, cause he didn't like those_train_ things. It was a devil's thing that a jalopy that big would move just because of some steam. Sam, in the other hand couldn't nor wanted to sleep. His heart was broken.

Santiago was now several stations away, and he would come back to that rural world in which he was always the strange one. Where they called them the_gringos_. The _gringos_ were Juan, _John_ Winchester children. Starting with the last name, they were odd characters in those god forsaken lands. Winchester. "Like the rifle", said mr. Améstica, a veteran of the War of the Pacific, just like John was. John was the illegitimate son of a gringo, they say his name was Enrique, _Henry_, and that he only gave his last name to his child a little after disappearing. John was, then, yet another _guacho_, another fatherless boy that had to work to support his mother. And that didn't matter when the recruiters came to take him to the front in the north.

The gringos' mother was a woman called María, María Campos, I think. She was blonde and _zarca_, like a princess, but nobody knew anything about her family. They say they were all dead. John married her when he came back from war, and they lived in San Lorenzo estate, as tenants. Maybe she was gringa too, cause they put some strange names to their children. The first born was called Dean. The second arrived four years later and was called Samuel, but everybody called him Sam. They were beautiful boys, all whitie, and pale, green-eyed, and very tall. The younger one came to be an actual giant that could look a horse into the eye, and that had to duck at every door, except for the stables or the wine cellar. But it took some time for Sam to actually see a cellar or a stable.

When he was just a baby, there was a fire in their house in San Lorenzo. The mother couldn't scape, so John's children were _guachos_ too. John didn't marry again. John didn't live again. They say that what he saw affected him. He became some kind of lunatic, and even when the owner of San Lorenzo wanted to keep him as a hand, he started to drink and drift. And to do other stuff too. They say he became some kind of warlock, hanging out with a _meica_. They say he wanted to talk to María among the dead. They say many things, strange things. The neighbors said they hear the baby crying the whole day. Until San Lorenzo's owner couldn't do anything else but kicking him out with his children.

John went from estate to estate, looking for a job. He didn't last long in any place. Until it was impossible to find any job, and then he took his children and left for the city. He had a buddy from the war. His name was Roberto, or something like that. He was a widower, and had a smithy and cart repair shop outside Rancagua. John dropped the children with him, and continued his errant life. When Sam was old enough, the father came back and took them to the mountains, to be rustlers like him. Cattle rustling was quite a deal in those years. But if they caught you, you would have a bad time. That happened some times to John, and the children had to stay alone in the mountains, or come down seeking shelter at Roberto's shop or with father Jaime Alvarez, another of John's buddies that became a priest after the war.

Once, when he was like fifteen, Dean got busted and spend some time in jail. Something else happened to John then. Some say a woman reached him, saying her son Adán was John's. Others said some people saw María's ghost burn at night in San Lorenzo. Truth is, after 10 very good years, San Lorenzo's owner died saying there were black dogs chasing him. His mother inherited the estate, and gambled away a half of it, that became _Las Lomas_ estate. A big crucifix was installed in the crossroad in the limits of San Lorenzo and Las Lomas, and no one dared to walk over there at night.

Las Lomas' new owner was a misterious retired navy captain who knew John. His name was Fulvio Cabrales and he invited him to come back as a tenant. The gringos were practically illiterate, so they attended school. Dean just learned to read and write, and then dropped it, to help his father. Years of wine, and the cold of the mountains damaged John's health. Dean always preferred horses rather than people, so he became the horse-breaker of Las Lomas, always bruised and limping, because of the falls and kicks.

Sam in the other hand, was a brilliant boy. Judith Molineros was the only teacher in there. They called her "la paca", the cop, cause she was really strict. But she loved Sam like the son she lost when the cholera devastated the land. She fought everybody to keep Sam under her wing until he learned everything she could teach him. After that, he was forced to help his father to pay the obligation for the house, but the _patron, _the owner, liked Sam. He gave him obligations in the wine cellar, knowing the kid wouldn't steal wine or intoxicate with the marc of the barrels. Sam was charged with some administrative-under-a-roof duties, which caused a great amount of envy among the rest of the estate workers. Maybe his own father and brother were jealous too.

However, secretly, Judith kept preparing him for his diploma exam. Both of them shed rivers of ink, seeking for support, until Sam could run away to Rancagua, took his exam before the comission and came back home. The reception wasn't nice at all, but it was worth it. Weeks later, mr. Cabrales said he received a letter from someone in the University of Chile, in Santiago. Sam could study law, with a full scholarship.

That was four years ago. Like a week ago, he was sharing an _once_ with a girl in the _Confitería Torres_, when someone sneaked behind him, trying to take his wallet.

"Don't, please, don't!", he had to yield as the waiters were coming to help him. "He's my brother, he was just making a… joke… I suppose".

"My God, he smell like a horse", said the voice of a woman.

"This stablishment is not a place for a man like that", said another voice.

Dean just waved his hand, and smiled to everyone, specially the ladies. Most of them seemed terrified, but one or two fathers should reprehend their young daughters, that were not that scandalized by the presence of such a tall and handsome _huaso_.

Sam had to put some bills on the table and some extra for the troubles, he smiled apologetically to the girl next to him, and offered her his arm to get out of the restaurant, with as much dignity as he could.

"Samuel, what's going on?", she asked, once they got outside.

"This is my brother, Dean", Sam said. She just nodded, but Dean rushed to kiss her hand with some extra gallantry that didn't agree with Sam.

"Dean, this is Jessica Moore my…", Sam started, but soon he got overwhelmed.

"_Polola_? She's your girlfriend?", Dean completed, with a broad grin.

Jessice blushed, but smiled, squeezing Sam's arm.

"Let me tell you, you're way out of my younger brother's league, miss Moore. Beautiful last name, like ours, by the way. You're _gringa_ too, and _zarca_."

Jessica got a little confused with the way Dean expressed himself.

"Well, my grandfather came from Yorkshire, England, with John Thomas North…", she said shyly.

"Jessica's family manages a saltpeter work, in Tarapacá", said Sam, quickly. "You came here by horseback?", he rushed to say, trying to change the subject, as he saw _Baby_ by the horse hitching post.

Baby was a beautiful black mare, the offspring of John's black stallion, the breeding male of the house. Even Las Lomas owner wanted some of that stallion offspring. Baby was just a filly when Sam left. She was wearing some fine silver trappings, cause they could not have anything to eat, but those trappings were untouchable.

"Oh, yeah. I brought you the sorrel horse. This one didn't hate you that much. My brother is a shitty rider", he added, like he was letting Jessica into a secret.

"Dean!", Sam frowned really hard, considering how much over the line was his brother in front of a lady like Jessica.

"What?", said Dean with his mouth full. "Hey, what the hell is this? It's good!"

"Where did you get that?!", exclaimed Sam with a look of despair, cause his brother simply pulled some sandwich from under his _poncho_, and was now eating and talking like nothing, in the middle of the _Alameda de las Delicias_.

"Your plate", said the older Winchester, still with his mouth full. "Hey, you paid for this, right? And it's good, what is it?"

"It's a _Barros Luco_", said Jessica, clearly amused with the picturesque scene.

"A what?"

"Barros Luco. President Ramón Barros Luco always eats here. This is a good restaurant and is near the Moneda palace. And he always asks for this sandwich: soft beef and melted cheese in a marraqueta. Is good, isn't it?"

"Oh yeah, I think this Barros Luco guy is the first politician that I like. If I would have known, I would have voted for him", Dean said as he finished the sandwich with the contents of some misterious flask. "Now, that was an _once_with all its letters".

Sam rolled his eyes, knowing that the misterious drink was the one of the _once_, eleven letters: _aguardiente_ (moonshine).

"Who did you voted for? If I may ask that", said Jessica.

"I don't want all those guys to fight, so I marked them all. Isn't that how it works?"

Jessica looked at him with big eyes.

"Just kidding…"

"Dean, why are you here?", interrupted Sam.

"I would want to talk to you, in private".

"Anything you have to say, you can say it before Jessica. Just… be a gentleman".

Jessica felt him got tense.

"Well… it's about _el taita_. The man is on a hunting trip. And he hasn't been home in a few days".

Sam's look briefly fell to the ground.

"Jessica, would you allow me to take you home?", he said, trying his best to not look worried.

"I can walk, I live just a few blocks away", she said, faking a smile for him.

"Taking you home is my duty. By horseback this time", he faked a smile too, but she read a certain sadness in his eyes.

"I've only ridden in lady saddles", the girl said, a little confused.

"Just like Sam", noted Dean, but nobody listened.

"You'll seat like a lady, don't worry", Sam murmured gently.

"Honestly, miss Moore, it seems to me like you would be safer riding with me", smiled Dean.

"It seems to me like you should shut up", sassed Sam, as he gave Jessica his jacket, rolled his sleeves up and helped her to climb on the horse's back.

The horse moved with unease, and Jessica let out a little screech. Only then, Dean helped a little, holding the horse by the bridle as his brother climbed as well, and then was all Sam's problem to control the animal, who didn't seem really happy. The fine sorrel reared a little, and kicked a little more, which matched with Jessica's screams was giving Dean a great entertainment.

"Don't scream, you're spooking him", murmured Sam in Jessica's ear, with a soft voice.

She realized he have found time to calm down between kick and kick, and now he was holding her with a secure hand. The veins in his other arm pumped as he firmly held the reins, and the horse finally got settled down.

"Woah, you're not as rusty as I thought", said Dean.

"Dean, please", said the younger one, with that special face, that would precede some insult if Jessica wouldn't be there.

Meanwhile, Jessica was hoping none of her acquaintances would see her riding Sam. I mean, riding with Sam. But the feeling was so good to not focus on it. She was close to her _pololo_'s chest, hearing his heartbeat and breathing, feeling his warmth. They have shared some moments, but always with great caution. Sam wasn't the ideal suitor her mother would wish for her daughter, but he was in good terms with mister Moore, who valued what Sam's efforts have achieved so far. Now his big hand was in her waist, and nobody could say anything: she could fall off the horse, right? So, after all, there were reasons to smile, although her house was really near. She wished the journey was longer.

"Woah, this houses are palaces!" exclaimed Dean, when they reach _Ejército_street. He was already amazed with the trams, the cars, and the intense hustle of the capital city, but this street was simply too much.

"They look all pretty, but most of them are falling apart in the inside. Saltpeter prices are very unstable" said Jessica.

"Still, they are an innecesary ostentation" muttered Sam, absently.

"Oh, please, don't talk like that. My mother likes to think you're a communist", protested Jessica.

"Well, you know I'm not. I work for the democrats".

"And my father finds it amusing", she said with a pout on her lips.

"Are you a politician now?", asked Dean, with disgust.

"No. I work for a party. But I'm not blind. I see the injustice. In fact my thesis…"

"His thesis is amazing", Jessica interrupted with enthusiasm. "It's about the working conditions of women here in Santiago. Your brother is gonna be a great lawyer. He'll make a difference", she gave Sam an affectionate smile.

Dean turned to look to the houses, unaware of all the subtle sweet nothings in the other horse.

"I don't like the city, Baby", he whispered, palming his mare's neck.

"Leave me here", said Jessica. "I don't want my nanny to see you. We don't know what lies she could tell my mother".

Sam stopped and get off the horse. Dean held the reins, as his brother helped Jessica to get off as well. Intense looks between the lovers, until she graved his hand and ran to a secret corner.

"I hope your brother wouldn't think that I am…" she said.

"He won't think anything", rushed Sam, as he pressed a kiss against her lips.

Three kisses in a row, but a neighbor passed by, so they needed to stop.

"My father said you wanted to talk to him" said Jessica in a whisper, staring in those multicolored eyes.

"I do", he replied, firmly.

"They're not home. They went to Valparaíso, for All Saints' Day, and they'll stay there for a few weeks. I didn't go cause I was… _sick_".

"You lied to them?" asked Sam with a big smile.

"These weeks are very important for you, I couldn't left you. You'll take your final exam. You'll become a lawyer", she said as she interlaced her fingers with his.

"I'll talk to your father… Right after it".

He looked at her with passion and love, his forehead against hers.

"But now your brother appears, saying that your father…" she added, the concern vibrating in her voice. "What will you do?"

"I don't know…"

"Don't go", she begged. "I mean, I'm sure you'll want your father and brother to be here to watch you achieve your dream, but… I know I'm being selfish…"

Sam put a finger on her lips.

"Whatever I decide, I'll call you, alright?"

She smiled, until a deeper kiss took all her breath away. There were no more words, just looks and gestures. She was all clumsy and shaky when she walked home.

"It was nice to meet you, mr. Winchester", she said to Dean. "Please take good care of my… Sam", she added in a whisper, before rushing home.

Dean nodded, taking his hat off.

"What did you do to her, you naughty boy?", he asked, putting his _chupalla_ on again.

Sam looked at her one last time, paying no attention to his brother. He climbed onto the horse's back, and headed to _Alameda_ again.

"You'll give quite a _braguetazo_, brother", Dean said, looking to the pretty houses one last time.

"No. No, no, don't you dare", Sam stopped his horse in front of Baby. "Just don't".

"Come on, admit it. I'm your brother. She's nice, but she's also rich and she doesn't seem to be bothered by you smelling like horse".

"I said no. Don't go there. Or do I have to remember you of Elisa? She was rich too, she was the patron's niece, and of course she didn't care about the horse smell. And she got lost for a weekend, I remember, the same weekend you were supossedly drinking and fighting in Quinta, but you came home unscratched. And she never put a foot in Las Lomas again."

"Ok, fair enough. But still, wasn't this what you always wanted? There, looking up to the _patrón_, and his _chalet_, and everything?"

"I just wanted a normal life. A safe life" replied Sam, hardly containing himself. "Jessica knows who I am. She knows I would gladly run away with her, if her father doesn't accept me".

"She knows? Everything?"

"She knows I'm just a farm's hand. She knows I didn't learn how to read until 11".

"Did you told her about the mountains?"

"Yes."

"The rustling? The witch hunting? The blood?"

"No. I didn't".

"Ha, of course she knows you. Look, I'm sorry, ok? But dad left a few weeks ago. He didn't do that in years. Roberto said he was seen near Machali, does it ring a bell?"

"Witches' land. Did Roberto talk to him?"

"Of course not, he helped you running away to take your damn exam and then helped you coming here. Father hates him now, and I don't blame him, Roberto pointed a gun to his fucking head for your sake".

Sam couldn't avoid a smile.

"Look, I haven't bother you in years, but this is big. The old man is a fugitive, you know? And there has been some things there, in Las Lomas. Rosalindo Cerpa saw a giant near the Big Rock. A giant and it wasn't you, you haven't been in Las Lomas in four years."

"A giant?"

"A guy with a poncho, that started to grow in the middle of the night, until he reached the poplars. And they say the burning figure of San Lorenzo appeared again".

"I know", Sam said, absently.

"You know? How?"

"Nevermind."

"Well, I can't do this alone".

"Yes, you can".

"I don't want to."

"My final exam is in less than two weeks".

"You'll be back before that, whatever it is. I hope you still have your riding boots and your poncho, cause we're heading to Machalí mountain range".

More than a week after that, there wasn't any exam, or any engagement. Just a sad silent boy coming back to a estate that never was his home. When they got off the train, they had to walk from Quinta. They left the horses at Roberto's. Several silent kilometers. Until they reached the vineyard of Las Lomas and something startled Sam's heart: children. With their white aprons, they were heading home after school and a familiar figure was watching them go. Dean noticed it, waved a greeting and kept walking, cause he imagined what will happen. Sam didn't thought about it, nor said anything. He just ran, and Judith ran too, until they merged in the tightest embrace.

"But, what are you doing here, Sam?" she said, looking at him, noting how skinny he was. "Don't you have to prepare your exam? What's going on?"

"She's dead", said Sam, his eyes filled with tears. "Jessica… she's dead".

There was another embrace and the dust in the wind made them seek for shelter inside the little school. Inside that little… home.

* * *

**GLOSSARY**

**Santiago:** capital city of Chile.

**Gringo:** is a term, mainly used in Spanish-speaking countries and in Portuguese-speaking, to refer to an English-speakingforeigner. In Chile, sometimes we use it for blond people too, or for people who doesn't speak spanish.

**Juan:** spanish form of John.

**War of the Pacific:** conflict between Chile, Peru and Bolivia (1879-1884). Chile won. Or well, so they say.

**Enrique:** spanish form of Henry.

**Guacho:** orphan, fatherless child. A child whose father didn't recognize him.

**María:** spanish form of Mary.

**Campos:** The "Camp" in Campbell could mean "field", so I chose this surname, which means "fields".

**Zarco, a:** blue-eyed. It's old and used by peasants.

**San Lorenzo:** Lorenzo is the spanish form of Lawrence.

**The tenants status:** I didn't find an apropriate word for this. In Chile, since the spanish colonization in 1541, until 1967, with the Land Reform, peasants were mostly either landless farm hands or tenants, but tenants is not the proper term. They were more like feudal servants. The owner of the state gave you a house and a piece land, and you had to work for him. You were obligated, or he would kick you out. There weren't labour laws, or anything. My parents were born on that system.

**Meica:** healer, witch doctor. I was thinking about Missouri.

**Rancagua:** a city located 87 km south of the capital city, Santiago. And near my hometown.I studied there.

**Cattle Rustling:** a very common crime in that time. Moving to new pastures up and down the mountains (Los Andes Mountains cross my country from north to south) was and even is a very common practice among sheperds. It was common that they got robbed in the mountains by cattle rustlers.

**Roberto:** I was thinking in Bobby, of course.

**Jaime Alvarez:** I was thinking in Pastor Jim Murphy. Jim comes from James, right? Jaime is the spanish form of James. Murphy means "decendent of Murchadh", and Murchadh means "sea warrior". Alvarez means "son of the elf warrior", so it was the most similar spanish surname I could find.

**Adán:** spanish form of Adam.

**Las Lomas:** my mother grew up in a estate called like that. It was a partition of a bigger estate called "Huemul", that was gambled away by a woman. I located the narration in the place were my parents grew up.

**The Crucifix in the crossroad:** It's a local legend in my hometown. The owner of a estate made a deal with the devil, the died, but the devil was still appearing in the crossroad, so they put a big Crucifix there. People light candles, and pray there, cause they say that image of Jesus is miraculous.

**Fulvio Cabrales:** hehehehe. Cabrales comes from _Cabra_, goat. And Fulvio means "yellow" in latin. So, I was thinking about…

**The horse-breaker thing:** my great-grandfather was a itinerant horse breaker. He met my great-grandmother while he was taming horses for Las Lomas' owner.

J**udith Molineros:** Yes! Jody is a form of Judith. Mill means "molino" in spanish.

**"La paca":** literally, "the cop". We call the policemen "pacos".

**The Cholera:** there was a cholera outbreak at the beginning of 20th century in the central region of Chile.

**Patrón:** respectful term to refer to the owner of a estate.

**"Marc of the barrels":** I was thinking about the _orujo_, the wine production debris. My father told me, some people died, back in the day, cleaning up the barrels.

**"administrative-under-a-roof duties":** my grandfather was a literate young man in El Escudo ( The Shield) estate. He was charged with this kind of duties, and everybody thought he was a lazy ass because he wasn't working his ass off under the rays of the sun. They called him "arado de trapo", something like rag plow. A plow made of rags wouldn't be useful for anything, right?

**University of Chile:** founded in 1845, it was the first University of the republic.

**Once:** (on like in "on", ce like in "cellar"). Literally, the word means "eleven". It's actually a meal we take in the afternoon. It's like the afternoon tea. It includes tea or coffee, sandwiches, cake and other things. One of the possible ethymologies for the word is that workers used to take this meal with moonshine, aguardiente. Once was a code word to refer to aguardiente, cause it has 11 letters.

**Confitería Torres:** maybe it's the oldest restaurant of Santiago, founded in 1876. Many presidents of Chile ate there, cause it's near the government palace.

**Huaso:** the equivalent of a cowboy, maybe?

**Pololear:** (verb) It means something like "being on a relationship". But it also means "hang out with your girlfriend or boyfriend". And it also means "to court, to woo". It's a complex concept, I think unique from my country. "Boyfriend" would translate here in Chile like "pololo" or like "novio". Girlfriend would be "polola" or "novia", but here in Chile, "novio" or "novia" are stronger words, more like "fiancé(e)".

**John Thomas North:** english businessman who acquired several saltpeter works in the north, after Chile won the War of the Pacific. He was called "The king of nitrates".

**Baby:** in spanish, it would have been "bebé", and it's a possible name for a horse.

**Silver trappings:** these were very important among huasos. The finest were made by mapuche (native) artisans.

**Alameda de las Delicias:** Today, Alameda Bernardo O'Higgins (our founder father, hehehehe). It's the main street of Santiago.

**Barros Luco: i**t's a sandwich created by a chilean president, right there in the Confitería Torres. I think it's his only memorable deed.

**Marraqueta:** a kind of bread. We chileans LOVE bread almost as much as germans do.

**Moneda Palace:** the government palace. It's like three blocks away from Confitería Torres.

**Taita:** it's a respectful word used by peasants to refer to a father. It comes from mapudungún, the language of mapuche people.

**Ejército street:** it was an elegant street, were many saltpeter magnates had their mansions. Ejército Libertador, "Liberator Army".

**Sam's thesis:** that was actually Saint Alberto Hurtado's thesis, in 1923. Well, Sam didn't published his in this story, right?

**Everything about Jessica:** we were a pretty conservative society in 1915, ok?

**Braguetazo:** a spanish term that means "marriage for the money".

**Elisa:** well, I was thinking about Lisa, of course.

**Quinta:** a tiny town, near Las Lomas.

**Machalí:** my hometown, whose names actually means "witches' land". We are full of stories.

**Rosalindo Cerpa and the giant:** he was my great uncle, and that was exactly what he saw.

**Big Rock:** a haunted place in Las Lomas.

**White school aprons:** my mother says that was her uniforn at school.

Congratulations if you reached this line ;)


End file.
